CRANSTON - Lisa Churchville, longtime president and generalmanager of WJAR-TV, Channel 10, announced Tuesday that she willretire June 30.

Churchville was not only head of the top-rated news station inthe market for 14 years, but she also participated in a wide rangeof charitable, business and nonprofit ventures, including theGreater Providence Chamber of Commerce, the Providence PublicLibrary, the Rhode Island Philharmonic, United Way and many more,making her a highly visible figure in the community.

"She was very much a believer that a TV news station needs toreflect the community and give back to the community," said LaurieWhite, president of the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce.

Speaking by phone Tuesday, Churchville, 57, said that after 32years in the TV business, she's eager to throttle back.

"I came in with "Laverne and Shirley." That's a long, wonderfulride," she said. "But now, I think I'm both old enough and youngenough to enjoy a next stage."

Just what that next stage will be, Churchville said, she doesn'tknow.

"Right now, I'm eager to have a less-intensive set ofcommitments," she said. "It's a stop-and-smell-the-roses moment....My main goal, right now, is to take the summer off."

Churchville, who is married with two sons, lives inNarragansett.

A spokesman for Media General, owner of Channel 10, said thestation has not selected a successor to Churchville.

Churchville, a graduate of Barnard College and Harvard BusinessSchool, began her broadcasting career at WABC-TV in New York City,then worked at NBC stations in Chicago and Philadelphia beforecoming to Channel 10 in 1997.

She presided over the transition when Channel 10 was purchasedfrom NBC by Virginia-based Media General Inc. in 2006.

In late 2008 and early 2009, with advertising revenues pummeledby the recession, the station laid off at least 24 employees.

Churchville said the station had 126 employees when it was soldto Media General. At one point, she said, the head count was downto about 75. Now, she said, there are about 100 people at thestation.

"She did a good job keeping Channel 10 stable through a verydifficult time," said Linda Lotridge Levin, chairwoman of thejournalism department at the University of Rhode Island. "Shemanaged to maintain the news operation at a fairly high level."

In the last two years, Churchville added a 7 p.m. newscast andguided the station through the conversion of local programming tohigh definition.

"I'm still very optimistic about local media, because I thinkthe demand for journalism is there," Churchville said.

"If you look at it cumulatively, we're reaching a largeraudience. What we need to change is the mindset that everyone issitting down at the same time to watch one broadcast."

asmith@projo.com

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